July 23, 2021: In a major rescue operation, Assam Police saved 42 children who were trafficked from three villages of Chirang district of Assam. They were rescued from the border areas of West Bengal and Sikkim. Police arrested two people involved in human trafficking.

The police team led by Chirang SP Gaurav Upadhyay reached Kokrajhar at 1AM last night along with the rescued children.

One Trishna Jogi, a resident of Chirang has been detained by Chirang Police. He is suspected to be involved in child trafficking.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himnata Biswa Sarma’s office informed that the CM along with senior Assam Police officials would be meeting the rescued children and the police team in Guwahati today.

Earlier this year, Assam Police had rescued two minor girls who were sold by their fathers for Rs 40,000 each and were trafficked to Arunachal Pradesh. The minors hailed from Moran in Dibrugarh.

Assam has been reporting cases of child trafficking. In September 2020, 12 children, aged between 13 and 17 years, and 15 adults were trafficked to Arunachal Pradesh from Barpeta district in western Assam.

Amid the countrywide lockdown in 2020, as many as 216 cases of crime against children were registered in Assam. Of these, 113 cases were related to sexual abuse of children, 13 cases were related to child labour, three of abduction, 47 cases of child marriage. As per data released by the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Assam saw a 55 per cent increase in child trafficking in 2019.